


Beast of Kings

by SacredMorningStar



Series: Marvel Drabbles, One-shots and Fics [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Infinity War AU, Do Not Copy Onto Another Site, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Fantasy, Kirin, Kirin Reader, Kirin!Reader, Loki - Freeform, Multi-verse, Reader Kirin, Reader!Kirin, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Thanos is a threat, other world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 21:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18699049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SacredMorningStar/pseuds/SacredMorningStar
Summary: Loki awakens in a strange world after being sure he had died, after feeling Thanos' grip around his throat, after seeing nothing but black. But this world seems different and there was something there that watched him. What brought him there? What did they want? And why would they follow him and no approach? Why exactly did they save him?





	Beast of Kings

**Author's Note:**

> (Y/H/C + L) = Your Hair Colour & Length

After the events of Sakaar, after they had managed to defeat their sister, Loki had hoped it could be a fresh start, that he had found his place again as his brother’s equal. He thought he had finally earned the praise of his people when that damn spaceship dwarfed their own. He had been given a hope that his ‘people’ and his family was finally going to accept him and now it was being torn away from him. The fight had been amazing, it had been incredible, had been absolutely terrified of the titan knowing just what the being could do and had done, and feeling the hand around his throat brought that pure fear rushing back to him. He knew this time he couldn’t run away from the titan, not now, and he would do whatever he could to weaken the being to give his brother any advantage he could. 

He was a trickster, he was a master manipulator, but even with all his skills he didn’t know if he could lay a hand on the giant. This wasn’t a fight he could win alone, he would never have a chance if he tried to take the titan by himself, but even with the powers they had it wasn’t enough. He had hoped the Hulk would have the strength to take him out, or to severely injure him, but it seemed the titan had been able to surprise him again. Even with the Hulk’s immense strength they couldn’t seem to get the upper-hand and he felt that immense strength around his throat closing it tighter and tighter. There was nothing he could do to get him off, to free himself, to get out of that grasp that tightened to the point of agony and he felt his neck snap and the whole world went black around him. He had died, he was sure of it, he had truly died at the hands of the titan in the middle of space on his way back to the planet he had tried to conquer for the same being. 

 So when he felt ground beneath his body and warm sunlight on his body, even heard the sounds of birds and other animals around, he couldn’t help feeling confused and a little scared. Was this part of Thanos’ plan? Was he the one who kept him alive to torture him with his death over and over? He could remember feeling it all but how he got to the forest he woke up in he had no idea. He didn’t recognise the feeling of the forest, wasn’t sure which realm he was on, couldn’t get a feel of where he was, and his magic seemed to be much weaker than he had been used to. The forest was thick and lush with splatters of colour from flowers and buds on shrubs and grasses and there was an extremely sweet scent on the air. He could hear the sounds of creatures around him, hear the life in the forest, and there was a strange energy in the forest that he couldn’t quite place; it felt like an old magic that seemed to push against him a little as he tried to investigate the land.

He couldn’t find any traces of magic used on himself, no signs of any binding or resurrection spells, but it had been clear some form of magic had been used to bring him back. He was still in the armour he had been in when facing Thanos and it showed the signs of their fight with scuffs and cuts throughout the material; even dried blood on the collar from being strangled. He took his time to stand, feeling unstable as he slowly began to walk, and began to investigate the forest around him that seemed to be so alive and bright. He slowly began to walk around the forest, searching for a safe space to hide himself, still unsure how he got there or if Thanos was watching him. The magic that seemed to surround him didn’t appear to be that of the titan, it didn’t feel like what he had been through before, but there was a possibility it was the stones and that he had succeeded in his fight.

The forest seemed endless as he slowly explored and managed to find enough magic to summon a blade to his side just in case something came for him. The vast greenery seemed to just keep going and as Loki slowly made his way through feeling like he was being watched or followed as he tried to find somewhere to rest. He didn’t have the energy for a concealing spell, to hide himself truly, but if he could rest then he might build enough energy to use some magic to keep himself hidden from whoever brought him there. He had never been anywhere without someone wanting something from him even as a baby and this felt no different. Someone had brought him there for a reason, someone had some kind of grand plan for him, but he didn’t know who or what even as he began to explore further and further through the forest.

He found an abandoned cabin in the middle of the forest with no sign of any other life around him other than the feeling of being watched by something. He looked around the forest still feeling eyes on him, not seeing anything in the thicket around him, and the cabin was half destroyed with signs of the forest around trying to take over the abandoned space. It was missing half of the roof and there were saplings and small trees growing through windows and the missing part of the roof. There was no way to tell how long the cabin had been abandoned for or who had used it before, but it was clear it had once been well cared for and loved with the carvings that decorated doorways and windows. 

He knew he could use his limited magic to at least make part of the cabin liveable temporarily so he could rest up and rebuild his magical energy stores. He could feel his magic ran lower than usual, that whatever had brought him back hadn’t been able to fully restore him, but he doubted it would take much more than some food and a few nights rest to gain his stores. He could at least rest in a corner of the damaged building, the space sturdy for now and he used his minimal magic to make the space just a little safer. He had just got to tidying some of the space when he felt like he was being watched by something, that something was staring at him through the thick forest, but he couldn’t tell if the creature was connected with Thanos or if they were just watching him. All he could see was something moving through the forest around him, a shadow of some unrecognisable creature moving through the foliage, but it seemed to be keeping its distance for now and patrolled just out of full view; an unsettling feeling for the fallen prince.

He watched the creature moving through the forest and at times it seemed to stop staring right at him until it finally moved away and disappeared into the forest. It had seemed to stay around as he spent time making the space safe, giving him shelter to rest and recover in, but seemed to vanish into the forest just as Loki finished making the space safe. It had taken him so long to get the space secure that the sun had set, the low glow of his magic just giving him enough light, and he could barely see the world around him. He couldn’t see the creature any more, couldn’t even sense it, and not knowing what it was made it more difficult to settle even though he was completely exhausted. He slept for a few hours, long enough that the sun was just starting to rise, and woke feeling somewhat energised but knew it was a long recovery yet. He searched through the dimly lit forest hearing the sounds of life but no sign of the creature that had been watching him the night before.

The cabin was cool, more exposed than he would have liked, but it suited the prince until he could use his magic to fully restore the cabin. There was a lot of work and he wasn’t going to build it all by hand when he knew he could easily get it built with magic. He would have to rely on old lessons, on how to hunt and how to survive, and even tracking to try and find the creature that had been watching him. He had seen where the beast had walked and wondered if he could find a trace of it to follow. He began his search for food, looking for tracks of the strange creature as he went, and as he stepped deeper into the forest, he began to feel like he was being watched again by something. It seemed the creature was more cautious, was keeping itself better hidden, was somewhere deeper within the thickets following the prince once again.

He kept his guard up, kept listening for the creature getting closer as he began to hunt, setting traps and finding animal trails that might bring him some success. It took a couple of days before his traps really started bringing in supplies but, in the meantime, he had managed to keep himself going with wild fruits and vegetables. He had seen traces of the creature that seemed to follow his every move, but it always stayed far enough away he couldn’t see it clearly, always seemed to disappear as he tried to get closer, and even as a week went by he still hadn’t been any closer to the creature. He had slowly felt his strength returning, felt his magic stores building, and finally after a week and a half of being there he began to repair the cabin. He had waited until he had a small stock pile of food so he could spend his energy repairing the space and not worry about food.

He built everything he needed in it, every room he wanted, and it seemed as his magic use slowly seemed to bring back the creature after it had stayed away for a few days. He had only seen traces of it, hints of it off in the distance, unusual hair caught on branches, just hints and nothing more. He watched as the cabin built itself and sensed the creature getting closer and watching him from the shadows of the forest; noticing movements out of the corner of his eyes. The creature seemed to move slowly, seemed to be watching him and stared at him, it was the stillest he had seen the creature since he had come across it, and he was quick to take the opportunity to try and get closer to the creature. It seemed distracted, seemed confused and was slowly coming closer to his magic giving him chance to hide away.

He created a clone of himself and quickly moved to the thicker parts of the forest keeping himself hidden from the creature. It seemed his plan worked, it seemed he had managed to trick the creature, as he used a spell to hide himself and kept himself well hidden as the creature slowly moved closer to the cabin. He watched as the shadowy form of the creature slowly change into a human-like form as it moved through the forest. He let his magic fade and his clone vanished too making the creature stare at where he had been clearly stunned by his sudden disappearance.

As it stepped out it revealed a female form with a pair of bright gold eyes, (Y/H/C + L) and a fairly toned build. Her clothes seemed to almost be alive, gold seemingly moving through the clothes, the material seemed to be moving too as if there was a constant breeze even when she was standing still. The constantly moving gold was the only bright colour in the material she wore, the rest seemed to be dull browns, greens and greys, and it just seemed like sheets of material had wrapped around her. Her bright eyes seemed to shimmer as she searched for him, and Loki could feel the magic that clung to her; something he had only seen traces of before. There seemed to be something hidden under her hair which bounced a little almost enhanced like the constantly moving material. She explored around the nearly complete cabin, seeing the last parts sliding into place, and frowned as she tried to scent where the other creature had vanished to.

Loki took that moment to move, to bring out a blade and place it against the strange creature’s throat; mocking how it happened to him when he had Thor’s friends threaten him. The creature clearly tensed up and looked out the corner of her eye to the prince that seemed to tower above him. He could feel her magic begin to crackle, like static before a lightening strike, and his own magic seemed to almost respond to the challenge sparking back. Seeing his magic respond to hers seemed to bring a realisation and she tilted her head a little before feeling the cold blade lay flat against her neck.

“I’d be careful where you point such weapons Prince, especially when you don’t know what’s going on or what it is you’re threatening.” Her words were soft but almost seemed to echo around them through the forest. “You still don’t know how you got here do you?”

“Now what do we have here? You’ve been watching me ever since I got here, you’ve been hiding in the shadows like some spy.” Loki kept the blade against her throat glaring at her. “Now I am not the type of being to kill needlessly but if you brought me here for some plot or game then I wouldn’t hesitate to prove why that would be a bad idea. I don’t know why you brought me back, I don’t know why you saved me, I don’t know what you are thinking of using me for, but I will not give in so easy.”

“I have no plans for you Prince. I’m not here to hurt you, I simply helped you because you asked for help. This world is safe, at least for now, no one has been able to get here without my permission before.” Her tone was soft, but it gave the fallen prince a strange feeling. “I wouldn’t try to cross me again, I wouldn’t threaten me again if I were you Prince, I helped you and saved you, brought you into my world, simply because you desired something bigger, something better and I felt you deserve a chance. I wouldn’t go challenging me here without knowing everything.”

The prince watched the woman before him trying to use his magic to explore her real form. He knew this was just an illusion, a trick, this was a form that made it easier to communicate with her, but he couldn’t see through whatever she was using to make this appearance. He slowly lowered the blade and watched the way she slowly seemed to relax down standing beside him as she looked up at the cabin as it finally set itself into place.

“You may stay here, you can rest up and gain your strength and, so long as you don’t cause any problems, I will come to your aid should anything come here. Something strange is going on, something I’ve never felt before, a strange manipulation and I don’t like it. You should know the risk, should know some things are changing, but right now this might be the safest place.” The young woman was staring through the forest almost as if she was expecting something to appear.

“Do you expect me to come help save you should anything harm your home simply because you helped me? You think I would act to save your world? When I have no introduction to you or what you are? Then you clearly have no idea who I am, and it seems you saving me might be for nothing.” He was staring in the same direction as she was but wasn’t sure what she might be seeing. “Do not expect anything from me or else you might just be disappointed in the results.”

All she did was scoff at his words, she didn’t take them too seriously, and that annoyed the prince who glared down at her for a moment. She didn’t seem to care for his tone or the look she could feel he was giving her, but she could feel his magic trying to investigate her. It felt strange having another being’s magic wrapping around her, to feel the other’s power investigating her, and she let her own power dispel his magic clearly catching the prince by surprise again. There was a challenge there, just a slight one, and he couldn’t stop the small smirk that curled the corners of his lips.

“I don’t think I would be disappointed, I don’t think you would run if I needed help, no matter what you seem to think of yourself.” Those golden eyes glanced up to the dark-haired prince gauging his reaction. “But I guess we will have to wait and see. I should hope nothing comes, like it said it never happened before, but things seem to be changing in a way I have never seen before. Something smells off, something smells strange, like a storm somewhere is brewing, but I guess I won’t know until something happens.”

Loki could see she was clearly tense, there was something bothering her, something she was seeing that he just couldn’t. He still couldn’t tell what she truly was, what her other form seemed to be as she had always been too far away, and he didn’t enjoy not knowing what she was capable of. She could be dangerous with the possibly endless power she had buried within. She could still have plans for him, she could have used her illusions to keep the truth hidden to strengthen the lie, but for now he had no choice but to wait and see what would happen.

The following week had been uneventful for both (Y/N) and Loki however the woman couldn’t seem to stop the anxious feelings. There still seemed to be a strange smell in the air, still seemed to be a tension through space that the woman was picking up, but she had been more comfortable coming to check on the fallen prince. He had yet to see her true form, to learn anything more about her, she was still closed off to the prince about any of her abilities, but he had seen how protective she was of her home and anyone within it. He had noticed her anxiety rising in the way she walked, in the way she hovered around him, in the way she couldn’t stand still and constantly seemed to be on lookout. Nothing had seemed to calm her, nothing had seemed to soothe her, even his strength returning hadn’t seemed to soothe her worries and concerns.

He had grown used to her visits, to her coming to watch him, so when he felt like he was being watched it didn’t feel any different to usual. He had grown so used to the feeling that it had almost become normal even when he was out of the cabin. The feeling had been so common that when he had seen a shadow moving through the forest, he hadn’t even bothered watching it. She had been distant before and some days she seemed more distant than others but as Loki relaxed in the cabin waiting for her he began to grow uneasy. Although he had grown used to being watched, there was something more going on out in the forest than usual, he could hear something strange moving through the forest, footfalls he didn’t recognise seemed to come from all sides.

It was only the multiple footfalls that made Loki pause to look outside. The footfalls seemed to have metallic sounds to them, branches seemed to shift and snap, and there was a rush of movement from the forest around the cabin. There were shadows of creatures with humanoid forms, movements and sounds of creatures running from whatever danger that was coming towards the cabin. He could hear the sudden sound of alarm calls of birds that lived in the trees closest to his home. Hearing the birds sent a flush of panic through the prince as the volume and number of calls seemed to signal something the birds didn’t recognise. He was quick to act, to reach into that pocket of space that held his weapons, and pulled out everything he could hide on his body unsure how to call for the girl that protected the forest. There was a strange tension, a calm before the storm, as the prince looked around the forest, he could see through the window trying to find out just how many there were after him.

Silence seemed to hang in the air as he scoured the forest. He could see shadows moving, multiple creatures that seemed to be watching his home, but he couldn’t see what the creatures were doing. Birds flew in a panic seemingly breaking the tension and triggering the monsters to charge out of the thickets towards the cabin. He could hear arrows striking the roof, heard the screeches and squawks as they stormed their way into the clearing. The four-armed beasts clawed their way across the ground half clambering over each other, snapping and snarling and screaming, looking like a strange mix of fish and reptile as they began to swarm the cabin. The sight of the creatures in the light sent chills down the prince’s spine, he knew those beasts, he knew who they served under, he knew who their commander was, and the thought of being found by the titan only made the fear sink deeper.

The sounds of the creatures clawing and clambering over the building surrounded him. They pounded against the joints, tried to squeeze themselves through the windows of the cabin, tried to break into the cabin to get at the prince that was trying to formulate a plan. He couldn’t tell how they found him, how they got into this world, but he was sure that using his magic would bring them over to wherever he could go. The beasts snarled and snapped and clawed at the building trying to get inside and get to the dark-haired prince for their tyrannical leader. The sounds overwhelmed Loki as the beasts continued to claw and tear down all his work when there was suddenly a blindly bright light outside the cabin distracting the creatures. The silence seemed to hang in the air, the tension building again, before it snapped, and war cried of the beasts screeched and echoed around the forest.

He could hear fighting outside, the creatures he recognised were wildly snarling and yowling, but some of them still clawed and tore at the cabin while the majority faced the stranger. Loki was quick to use the distraction to his advantage and teleported to the thickest part of the undergrowth around the cabin trying to see whatever the creature was that came to fight. The creatures were piled over whatever it was they were attacking making them a moving mass of teeth, claws, limbs and snarls burying whatever it was completely. They swarmed and snarled and seemed to be struggling with whatever it was they were piled on top of even moving into a peak as whatever it was under them shifted and moved. The pile moved and shifted when suddenly a wave of power burst out sending the creatures flying through the air and into the forest around them; Loki having to avoid a few that were sent in his direction.

He stared at the creature that stood proud clearly searching the forest around it. It looked like a hybrid of a slender horse and lion with a large horn curving out from the forehead covered in fur. There were manes and ruffles of fur over the chest, below the knee, the tip of its tail and the mane was much longer and thicker. All the fur almost seemed to have life of its own as it moved and flowed even though there was no wind. The creature had dark brown body fur, bright gold eyes, and different shades of green through the ruffles making it look iridescent. There was a strange sense of power coming from the creature and it pawed at the ground watching the creatures ready to fight again; snorting and huffing loudly ready to challenge anyone. For a moment his eyes met hers making her pause and watch him before the creatures spotted him and split into two group to attack each opponent.

 _Get down now, get down and stay low, or else you might be struck._ The voice in his head was familiar but not quite right as it seemed to have a strangely deep tone.

He was quick to drop down and used his magic to create a barrier to protect himself should the creatures come close. He could hear the pounding of hooves, the screech of the creatures, the thumps as they hit the floor, the acrid smell of blood, and even felt the warmth of a body and the fur as the creature stood over him helping to defend him from the creatures. She used not only her horn and hooves to fight but her spells arched above and around them pushing back some of the creatures to hold them back. There were swarms of the creatures, piles and hordes and so many more than Loki expected, and it almost seemed never ending as more seemed to appear through the trees. Loki thought it was hopeless, thought that the sheer number of creatures coming from who knows where, that their sheer determination was going to end in him being captured again, and he feared that no matter what she did they would get to him.

_We will need to work together for this, there are too many, but with our magic combined we might just be able to ban these beasts from my world and whoever their master is._

The flow of magic in the air seemed to change, seemed to bend and warp around the pair of them as he allowed his magic to flow into her. There seemed to almost be a sudden humidity in the air, or even a great pressure, as their magic combined and swirled together in a strange mixture of green, gold and blue he could feel the growth in power. He watched the way his magic effortlessly linked with hers before it spread across both of them almost like a blanket allowing him to use her magic and her to use his. It felt strange, her magic sinking so deep in his form felt uncomfortable and slightly displaced him, before that rush of power exploded out over the forest around them. Suddenly, the creatures were kept back, frozen in place seemingly staring at the pair before they vanished into nothing. The power flowing through the pair sunk into the ground, spread over every plant, covered every inch of the ground in a slight glow and shimmer that didn’t fade; something unusual for the prince’s magic.

The heavy feeling in the air, that thick cloud like a damp towel over their faces, slowly lifted and slowly seemed to fade into a comfortable state. The creature slowly moved to allow him to stand and seemed to be searching through the forest for any sign of any more of the creatures before it snorted loudly in a heavy sigh letting out all the tension it held. Golden eyes glowed with magic as it looked over the whole of her world keeping close to Loki just in case any had managed to avoid the spell that sent them all to another world. Loki simply watched her for a moment before her form slowly shifted to that of the girl he had seen. He watched her and frowned as, clearly, she was thinking about the creatures that had invaded her home. Her gaze turned to him and there was a strange fear that pulsed through him as if she could see through his very soul.

“They came for you, hordes of them, for one person in the whole multi-verse. Just who would be so desperate to claim you? Just what did I bring you away from?” Her tone was colder than he expected, and the power seemed to reverberate through the forest.

“A madman, a titan that believes killing half the universe will save it. A man who has hordes of genetically altered being that follow his ever call. He…He is a threat, a danger, I did not plan to stay long enough for them to find me but I fear that nowhere may be safe. If they managed to get here I…it might have been because of me.” He was angry that they had gotten here and had attacked this place; damaging trees and the cabin.

“Then I guess you better help me protect my home, you better help me create new spells, you know these creatures better than me and what this titan can do. I told you I wouldn’t hurt you if you didn’t cause trouble, you haven’t, they invaded my home, but you better take responsibility for those things coming here.” Her expression changed to a playful smile. “Thought I was gonna kick you out then, didn’t you?”

“Perhaps I did, but if I am to work with you then I wish to know what you are, I have never seen anything like your kind before.”

“I am the Beast of Kings, a creature from Ancient Chinese Legend, they called my kind Kirin. Supposedly when we appear that person’s wishes are to come true, that when we appeared to humans that person would become a king or someone in power, so perhaps that means the same for you. Perhaps it could mean the same.”

He was beginning to think that staying here might be more interesting and might be more secure than he thought it would be.


End file.
